High Nitrite levels :( please be aware I typed a lot(coffee)

[eco23]

I would feed sparingly, and only every other day until the tank is cycled personally. Don't let leftover food sit in the substrate. Don't be afraid to keep the substrate nice and clean through gravel vacuuming.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

so I did the second water change, and the results were exactly identical..another water change? should I go more than 75%?

 

[eco23]

BTW...Discus aren't saltwater fish...so don't run out and do anything crazy . There must've been some confusion.

 

[eco23]

As long as they're around .5 and you used Prime it'll be okay for now. Maybe later tonight do another 50-70% wager change.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

ah i'm sorry your right its not saltwater, sorry lol, duh yea its freshwater, he told me to stay far away from saltwater, to much work.. sorry that was a awful mistake

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

on a side note, as i'm checking for these nitrite readings, can I do other tests for the rest of the tank, like high range Ph or nitrate to see if my cycling is working or is on the verge of working due to these high readings? or like you guys said it's near the end of the cycle?

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

so my nitrite read around 0.25-0.5PPM, hopefully it stays, i'll test it later again tonight

 

[sillygirl423]

Whenever I test my parameters I always test them all, gotta break out the kit any way right? Lol and it will give you a good idea where you are in your cycle.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

starting my test for tonight I hope it's under control

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

i'm seeing purple come up..it's not looking so good

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

I can't seem to tell much a difference between 1.0 2.0 and 5.0 PPM, but thats the color i'm getting now.. I fed earlier 2 cubes of bloodworms all was consumed as soon as I dropped them in, that was about 8 hours ago.. what should I do now.. my ammonia is right now at at 0.25ppm to 0.5PPM
I did 3 water changes today.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

each time I did PWC I used prime only, one capful and a half

 

[eco23]

There's really not much you can do other than constant, massive water changes...or re-homing some fish.

Prime will detoxify a level of the nitrIte (I believe up to 1ppm for 24-36 hrs?) and aquarium salt can help with nitrIte uptake...but it's just gonna be a battle. Personally I'd use Prime at 2x the normal dosage to try and help out. But you've definitely got to keep those numbers lower. If it's actually 3-5ppm...those levels are devastating.

I can't remember if you already mentioned it...but buying a water changing system can be a life saver. They let you do large, frequent water changes in no time at all. Check out the Aqueon Water changer if you haven't already.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

ya I have an aqueon waterchanger, ah i'm so down now due to this, I thought I had it earlier..eek this is a major bummer. i'm going to do a 75% change now

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

but the water is crystal clear, but i know that means nothing, Mr.Eco, with that Ammonia reading, is that mean anything?

 

[eco23]

but the water is crystal clear, but i know that means nothing, Mr.Eco, with that Ammonia reading, is that mean anything?

Yeah, the clarity of the water doesn't necessarily mean anything at this stage.

The ammonia spike may be due to overfeeding. I would feed very sparingly until this is all stable. Feed a minimal amount every other day IMO. If you have less aggressive fish which struggle to get the small amount of food, try hand feeding (there's some good vids online about how). Frozen bloodworms really are like a treat and don't have much nutritional value. I'd personally discontinue them until the tank is cycled and just sparingly feed a high quality pellet.

With the way your nitrIte is spiking it shows you're approaching the end...but we've still got challenges ahead. The best tool you (and the fish) have is that water changer. Just do whatever it takes to keep the nitrIte level down. Fish don't mind water changes, it's never really stressed any of mine out, and even if it did, it's much preferred to high levels of no2.

So lots of testing, lots and lots of water changes, a double dose of Prime and potentially some aquarium salt to help. You can see the end of the tunnel...but we've still got some work to do before we get there.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

I did another water change today and my nitrite levels seem to continue to stay high.. idk what else to do, i'm really bummed

 

[eco23]

I did another water change today and my nitrite levels seem to continue to stay high.. idk what else to do, i'm really bummed

There's really nothing I can add that hasn't been said already . Constant testing, water changes as large and as often as necessary, Seachem Prime to help temporarily neutralize the toxins, aquarium salt to help prevent nitrItre poisoning, feed sparingly so the fish don't produce as much waste, and potentially re-home some fish if the bio-load is simply too much to handle.

The things I listed above (like the Prime, salt) are tools which can help, but the key here has to be water changes. You simply have to replace the toxic water with fresh, clean water. Doing a 50% water change will remove 50% of the toxins, 25% reduces toxins by a quarter, etc... You just have to do them as large and as often as necessary to keep them as low as possible (at or below .25ppm).

I can't remember if I already mentioned this, but you should run to the store and pick up an Aqueon water changer ASAP. They're commercially available at most stores including the large chains like PetSmart. They're a life saver. I can easily do a 50% water change on my 46 gallon in 5-10 minutes. If you use Prime, you can use the water changer to add raw tap water directly back into the tank. Just add Prime directly into the tank before refilling based on the total volume of the aquarium...not just the water you're replacing.

Unfortunately with a heavy bio-load fish-in cycle...that's all you can do. Just stick with it and you'll get through it eventually. It seems like you're doing your best...but there's still some work to do.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

I also purchased another HOB filter, the tetra clear that is up to 90 gallons, and I also added a patch of Bio Chem Zorb for my other HOB filter which is the aqueon 55/75. I have also actived carbon in the aqueon filter and my nitrites are still this high..why..

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

ok thanks I will continue to do them